Living Ghosts
by Marie Nomad
Summary: A sequel to 'A Brother in Need' Alex reunites with Lorna and his other friends.


This story is a sequel to 'A brother in Need'. All characters (except for Burst) are property of Marvel Comics. Burst is a character of my own creation and may not be used without my approval. I am not making any money off of this. Just for fun and curiosity. 

The Living Ghosts By Maria Cline 

Alex Summers and Burst, his sister from an alternate universe, stood outside of Lorna's house. It had been over three weeks since his return. Yet, no one besides Scott knows that he is alive and well. Alex had been busy making sure Scott had adapted to his new life as a member of Generation X. (That is another story.) He wanted Lorna to know he was alive before he would tell his other friends. Alex held his flowers. Burst said, "Don't worry Alex. I'm sure that Lorna misses you." "What makes you think that I'm worried?" Burst pointed to the flowers and said, "You're crushing the poor things." Alex looked down and saw that he was squeezing the plants to death. "OOPS! I guess I am more nervous than I thought." Alex said embarrassed. 

Burst smiled, she said, "Come on Romeo. We have a Juliet to court." Alex nodded and knocked on the door. Nothing. Frowning Alex knocked harder. The door fell and the stunned duo stared and entered the quiet house. The living room was in shambles. Burn marks covered the place. A battle had taken part in the place? Burst and Alex stared. "Lorna!" he cried out. Burst concentrated to find any clues. "I sense that Lorna is alive." Alex grabbed her shoulders and asked, "Can you find her?" Burst nodded. "Yes, Lorna's body is magnetically aligned with the very magnetic field of this Earth. All I have to do is search the magnetic field and trace it to your friend. It will take time and concentration." Alex sighed a sigh of relief then he said, "I didn't know you can do that." Burst smiled, "I have vast array of talent you don't know about. Now lets go to somewhere where I can concentrate to find your friend." 

Later in the motel room, Burst in her yoga position searched the very magnetic field for Lorna's unique signature. She was unable to do this with any other mutant, but Lorna is connected to the very magnetic field of the universe. She can be found if someonw tried hard enough. Alex waited anxiously. He had fought for too long to lose Lorna now. Burst opened her eyes. They were a shade of red. "I found her! The Friends of Humanity got her. She's powerless and helpless." Alex angrily cried out, "Let's get them!" 

Burst cried out, "Hold it!" 

"What?" 

"She is being held in a public facility, with _lots_ of people around. If we just entered there, we will get defeated and knowing them we will get in loads of trouble." 

Alex leaned back and said, "Of course. I'm sorry." 

Burst held her brother's arm and said, "I know, but their is this costume party tomorrow night." 

Alex's face dawned and said, "And we can just infiltrate the party and rescue Lorna!" "Yes." 

At the Friends of Humanity costume party, everyone was dressed in a costume. Some as knights, some as princesses, some as frightening ghouls, and some as lovely noblemen from the times long forgotten. At the gates vast security is placed so no party crashers may enter. Of course Burst and Alex with the aid of her teleportation abilities entered with relative ease. Alex and Burst were dressed in costume as a pair of ghosts. The two 's faces were covered with a thick layer of white makeup that is made to glow in the dark, their hair was turned bright white, they both wear a loose shirt with white gloves, and a equally white pair of pants. They were standing in the broom closet. Alex breathed a sigh of relief. "I didn't think we could get through." he confessed. "Well, we did." Burst said with a look that said, "Trust me". She took out a mirror to check her makeup before they leave to join the crowd. 

Unknown to them, a party crasher had also entered by the front gate. Christopher Summers a.k.a. Corsair dressed as a sea pirate for obvious reasons. Corsair had been visiting Earth after a long time of separation to discover that Scott had quit the X-Men, and Alex had died. When it was discovered that Lorna had been captured by the Friends of Humanity, Corsair decided to help Jamie and Wolfsbane rescue her. Corsair felt great guilt for not only missing his older son's wedding, but to miss his younger son's funeral. He thought that maybe he could help Alex's friend as a way to say, "I'm sorry." He managed to sneak in since he is a normal human. 

Corsair entered the party. He had gotten the fake invitation and fake ID. They were prepared for anything that could happen on the mission. Except for a sight that behold him. Corsair was the first to see them. He saw a couple of somewhat familiar looking people standing there. At first he thought that it was just his imagination. Then he heard the man's voice, Corsair's heart jumped and just stood there. It was Alex! His ghostly costume disguised his features but a father could see through any disguise his son may have. Corsair's eyes shifted over to the woman who was with Alex. She looked a great deal like his dead wife Katherine "Annie" Summers. He thought, "Oh god, Annie's and Alex's ghosts. Nah it can't be." Corsair turned his head and look back to find them gone. 

Alex and Burst snuck their way out into the top-secret passages. Alex was surprised of the unexpected ease of their mission. Burst was just as surprised. "I thought that somebody on monitor duty would notice us. Or one of the security cameras would catch us." Alex whispered as they search for Lorna. Burst nodded. She had to devote most of her energies to searching for the woman. She had to drop the cloak of invisibility to find her. Burst and Alex walked cautiously toward the imprisoned woman. 

Meanwhile, Corsair had managed to sabotage the sensors and enable Jamie and Wolfsbane to enter the facility undetected. They were wearing special cloaking devices to hide from the sophisticated sensors that might have been still on. They were also not using their mutant powers for fear of being detected. Jamie whispered, "I feel kind of funny not having more than one of me around." Wolfsbane nodded, "Aye, I feel a wee funny meself not bein in my werewolf mode." They relied on a special device to find Lorna. They were expecting anything. 

Lorna hated being the 'damsel in distress'. She is chained to the wall with the a Genoshian mutant collar on inhibiting her powers. She had been held a captive for a couple of days. She wondered if anybody even missed her yet. She hoped so. Her guards had been taunting her and treating her miserably. She tried to be brave, but the imprisonment was getting to her. Suddenly a blast shook the room. The guards looked up to find a man completely white; his entire body was glowing slightly in the darkened room. His costume was tight white with black circles on his chest. His eyes were two blank white slates. He cried out, "I... am...Havok!" One guard cried out, "But Havok's dead!" He smiled an evil grin and said, "I am still dead. And I am now haunting you for hurting Lorna." The other guard started to shake with fear. "G-ghost?" Havok nodded and gave a grin that would scare Wolverine. "Yes." He said with eagerness. The first guard attempted to aim only to find that he couldn't get the gun to get a lock on him. "What the?!" He wondered in confusion. Alex is relieved and confused as well. 

Meanwhile, Burst snuck in and started to free Lorna. She was too shocked by Alex's sudden appearance to notice the young mutant. "Ms. Danes! Lorna!" She whispered as she unlocked the manacles and the collar. "Come-on wake up!" Burst pleaded. 

Alex started to blast the guards. He missed them on purpose. He wanted to scare them out of their wits. He succeeded. Then guards started to fire back when they got hit from behind from Burst's kicks. The one of the guards hit the alarm. The alarm rang out inviting the others to come. Burst knocked the two unconscious. Alex asked, "How's Lorna?" "She fainted. I already used up a lot of energy getting here. I can't revive her, yet." Alex picked up his ex-girlfriend and said, "Let's go." 

As they ran toward safety, they ran into a running Jamie and Wolfsbane. Jamie and Wolfsbane stopped and looked at Alex, Burst, and Lorna still being carried unconscious. "Jamie!" Alex cried out with joy. "Alex!" Jamie and Wolfsbane yelled. They were surprised and scared by Alex's and Burst's ghostly appearance. "AAHHHH!!!" They screamed. Jamie nearly fainted. Alex said, "You guys, it's me Alex Summers!" Before Jamie and Rhane could scream again, the FoH guards started to arrive. "Swell." Burst muttered. Jamie got out a device and put it on Lorna and he said, "We will teleport Lorna out of here. Sorry we don't have any extras." "No need." Alex said, "Go. Where are you going?" Wolfsbane answered, "To Val's private helicopter, several hundred feet away and overhead." Burst nodded and said, "We can go there." Jamie, Lorna, and Wolfsbane got teleported by the devices. Burst teleported Alex toward the awaiting aircraft. 

In the safety of the helicopter, Valerie Cooper and Corsair were talking about what he saw. "I'm telling you. I saw Alex and Anne in there!" Val looked at her companion. She knew Alex from his days on X-Factor. She saw his source of stubbornness in Corsair. She said, "Alex Summers is dead. I don't know who this 'Anne' is but maybe your mind was playing tricks on you." Corsair opened his mouth to refuse when three people appeared. Jamie, Wolfsbane and a still unconscious Lorna, Val ran up to them and asked, "Are you OK?" Lorna's eyes open and whispered, "Alex? Where is he?" Jamie choked down some tears. How can he tell his friend that Alex was now a ghost? Corsair stared at Lorna. She saw Alex. He was about to ask when a bright lavender light appeared. 

From the light two figures showed up. Burst collapsed from exhaustion. Val looked at Alex and said, "Hi, Alex." She did a double take at the costumed man and screamed, "Alex?!?!?! AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Alex put up his hands and said, "It's okay Val." Everyone (except for Burst) stared at Alex again and screamed, "AAAHHHHH!!!!" Alex rolled his eyes and said, "I am_not_ a ghost." He walked up to the group. They all stepped back in terror. Alex sighed, "Do I look that much like a ghost?" Everyone chorused, "Yes!" That is when he realized that he and Burst is still in the ghost costumes. He fought the urge to laugh at the shock faces of his friends and father. He said, "It's _just_ makeup!" 

He took his sleeve and started to rub his forehead to wipe off the chalk white makeup. To make his point, he also removed the contact lenses that were hiding his blue eyes. "See?" he said. Everyone stared. Alex was no ghost. He was alive and well. Lorna weakly sat up and he went to her. She put her hand on Alex's face and started to cry, "You are alive?" Alex nodded, "Yep, I'm alive and my friend here is not a ghost as well." Burst started to wipe her makeup to show that he was right. 

Corsair ran up to his son and hugged him. He started to cry. "Oh god Alex. I'm so glad you're alive. I'm so sorry about missing your funeral." Alex hugged back. "That's okay. I'm just glad to be back." Corsair looked over at Burst who was getting rid of her makeup as well . She looked a great deal like his beloved departed wife Anne Summers. He asked, "Who are you?". Burst introduced herself, "I am called Burst. In an alternate world, I am your daughter Kathy Summers." 

"Daughter?!" Everyone (except for Alex) cried out. Burst sighed and said, "Yes, I am a Summers. I am the sister of Alex and Scott Summers in my alternate universe. And _my_ father once said that I resembled my mother." Corsair looked at his 'daughter' and nodded, "He's right.". Jamie looked over Burst and said "Hmm...powerful, in control, from some strange place, oh yes she is _definitely_ a Summers." Burst blushed at the compliment. 

Lorna now stronger asked, "What happened Alex? I saw you _die_ in front of my eyes." So Alex explained what had happened. He talked about the alternate universe he was trapped in. He talked about the Six and his alternate son. He talked about everything _except_ about what happened to Scott after his arrival. "And so Burst and I went to your house only to find the inside ruined. We couldn't contact the others and so we just snuck in the place to rescue you." 

Lorna looked at Alex and said, "Well, I am glad you're alive. But why the ghost routine?" Alex explained, "Well, it was Burst's idea. She thought that since I was still considered dead. We could use the element of surprise on those Friends of Humanity creeps. Sorry the costumes is so _realistic_ we didn't mean to scare all of you." 

"That's okay." Jamie said, "You and Kathy didn't know." "Burst!" Burst angrily cried out. "I don't want to be called Kathy!" Jamie said, "Okay...Kat." She angrily threw a nearby cushion at him. "You are so...ohhh." 

Alex and Lorna laughed at the two. Lorna held Alex and part of her prayed that this was no dream. ***** Lorna awoke to find herself in a med lab. "It was just a dream." She said sadly. Hank McCoy walked in and said, "Hello, Ms Danes. How are you faring after the rescue?" Lorna said, "I'm fine. I had this strange dream that Alex was alive and well. He was dressed up as a ghost. He had this friend who is his 'alternate' reality sister named Kathy Summers or the Burst. Corsair, Jamie, Rhane, and Val were there too." 

Hank smiled and pointed to the door. "My dear that was no dream." Alex walked in with some flowers. He was wearing some normal clothes and his hair was the yellow sun color it was before. He smiled at her and said, "Hi Lorna. These are for you." He handed the flowers to her and she hugged him. "Oh Alex! It was no dream! You are alive!" Alex nodded happily. "Yep, Hank was just doing some tests on me. I'm healthy as a horse. Except for one small thing." Alarmed Lorna asked, "What is it?" "Burst and I are now invisible to all electronic devices. Those guards couldn't get a lock on me because as far as the gun knows their is nothing to get a lock on." "Really?" Lorna asked worried and relieved at the same time. "Uh huh. Hank was doing tests to see if this can be controlled. But I can't be detected on radar, or have a taken a picture, or even make a phone call." 

"I thought you weren't a ghost." 

"I guess Kathy and I are semi ghosts." 

"Welcome back to the living Havok. Hope you survive the experience." 

The end 


End file.
